The jangling phone startled me awake…

A glance at the clock told me it was just past midnight. As soon as I recognized the voice of the crying girl on the other end of the line, my heartbeat spiked.

19-year-old Ellie* had recently left her abusive boyfriend and obtained a restraining order, which meant statistically she was likely to experience more, or even elevated, abuse.

In fact, a victim of domestic violence is most vulnerable during the first month after leaving the relationship – 1/3 of domestic violence homicides occur during the first month after obtaining a restraining order.